


an unbidden rescue

by MisterWiggums



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Blowjobs, M/M, everyone lives au, handers rbb, handjobs, pre da2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 03:28:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15015653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterWiggums/pseuds/MisterWiggums
Summary: Desperate for coin to support their family, the Hawke siblings turn to bounty hunting. They take on a bounty for a grey warden deserter that may be a bit more than Garrett can handle.





	an unbidden rescue

**Author's Note:**

> For the handers reverse big bang, art by rainglazed.

 

-

Hawke shuffled through the Viscount's Keep, Bethany and Carver trailing after him as all three of them tried to avoid the nobles who were milling about waiting for the viscount to finally grace them with his attention.

"Good luck getting in, I've been waiting here all day!" one noble proclaimed.

Lucky for Hawke's patience, he was far below an audience with the viscount, but an audience with the guard's bounty roster was what he was here for. It was open to any mercenary in Kirkwall, so there was still competition for the more high profile bounties, which is why Hawke insisted on being up before dawn. Carver yawned loudly behind him as Hawke's eyes scanned through the list of names on the bounty list.

"There better be something good, I'm sick of going on wild goose chases for no reward," Carver said.

"And to see the Winters already got the bounty anyway," Bethany added.

"Quiet down, you two! I'm reading here," Hawke said.

The two of them were right, he hated to admit it. Since they had left the Red Irons their bounty hunting hadn't gone well. A lot of the bounties were for mages, and the Hawke siblings weren't about to hunt down apostates for the templars. Hawke sighed, there weren't any good contracts, and he was about ready to give up and concede that the twins were right when Aveline walked out of the barracks.

"Hawke! You're out early, and lucky for you, we just got some new bounties in, and you get first pick,"

"Alright! Is there anything worth our time?" Hawke asked.

Aveline frowned in concentration as she leafed through the wanted papers, "There's one here with a 20 sovereign reward... But it might be a bit much for even you, Hawke."

Hawke snatched the papers out of Aveline's hands, "For 20 soverigns its not!"

Hawke's shoulders stiffened as he read through the bounty, and Bethany and Carver crowded into his space, trying to read it over his shoulder.

"A grey warden? Are you sure about this, brother?" Bethany asked.

"We haven't had any work since we left Meeran, and I don't wanna go crawling back to that rat.

We don't have much of a choice," Carver replied.

Bethany caught something on the page, and ripped the poster out of Hawke's hand to read over it.

"Oh no, I don't want anything to do with this," she said, flapping the papers around, "He's a mage. The templars will be after him too, and I don't want to help do their jobs."  
"Come on, Bethy, he’s a grey warden deserter. We're not going after him because he's a mage, if it were just that I wouldn't even consider taking the job. It says here the warden commander of Amaranthine put out the bounty. This is a good job, and if we can catch him we'll be set for months," Garrett said.

"Well, whatever the three of you decide, I need those back in one piece," Aveline said.  
Bethany handed the bounties over, and Aveline left the three of them to their arguing.

"I don't like the idea of taking on a grey warden either but Garrett's right about this one. For once," Carver said.

"Hey! I'm right about a lot of things, for one, I'm right that you're an ass. But Bethy still has a point. The templars will be after this guy too, I think just you and I should go after him. I don't want to get mixed up with templars while Bethany is with us."

"Fine, I guess if I can't talk you two out of this one I don't want to go anyway. Have fun hunting your mage," Bethany said, turning to walk away.

"Bethany! That's not fair and you know it," Hawke called after her, but she was already gone. He shrugged and turned to Carver, "Well, let's get to it I guess."  
-

The biggest problem with bounty hunting was finding the mark. Hawke still had some connections from his time in the Red Iron, but there hadn't been much information about the grey warden available, the bounty hadn't even included a real name just the pseudonym "Anders". After a long, and fruitless day of trekking through Darktown and Lowtown Hawke was ready to give up, but the thought of being beaten by someone who couldn't even come up with a better alias than Anders drove him onward. That and the promise of a 20 sovereign reward. Hawke rounded a narrow corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Carver didn't react so quickly, and bounced off his back as they collided.

"Hey! What-" Carver started, but Hawke shushed him with a snappy hand movement, and Carver's eyes followed his gaze to the group of templars speaking to each other. They stood a few feet away from the entrance of the Hanged Man.

Hawke hadn't thought to check the old dive bar with the sour proprietor and the bartender who was drunk herself more often than not, but maybe he should. The templars must be loitering about for a reason, probably waiting for someone to come out so they could ambush them. With any luck, it would be the mage warden that Hawke and Carver were after.

"Do you think...?" Carver asked.

"Yes, exactly. Let's go in and have a look around before they snatch our man."

The templars eyed them suspiciously as they walked past, but had no reason to stop two warriors from entering. Inside, the Hanged Man was just as dingy and dirty as Hawke recalled from the few visits he had had there in the past, the only difference being a few more mysterious stains on the floor.  Hawke scanned the room, it was still a bit early in the day but there were a few people milling about. In the far corner there was a figure in full plate armor sitting at a table with a hooded companion. Hawke made a mental note of the two suspicious patrons. The bounty hadn't said the warden had a companion, but the fact that they both had their faces covered set off alarm bells in his mind.

Before confronting the two, Hawke decided to gather some intel, he slid into a stool at the bar and clanked a few silvers on the counter to grab the attention of the bartender. He had been cleaning a dirty mug with an equally dirty rag, but he looked up with a glare, "Need something?"

"Just some information, then I'll be out of your way," Hawke said. He slid the coins across the counter, but was stopped when a hand reached down and clutched his.

"Save your coin, I think I can tell you what you want to know for free," Hawke looked up to see the hooded man from before- now with the hood drawn back to show his face- standing over him. Hawke paused for a moment to take in his face, he had high cheekbones and a prominent nose that made him look arrogant, but the effect was softened by his warm brown eyes. He was handsome, to say the least. Then Hawke's eyes drifted to the armored figure standing behind him. Then man tugged on his hand, bidding him to follow, "Well? Come on."

"Garrett, is this really a good idea?" Carver asked, but Hawke was already following after him,

Carver sighed in resignation and trailed after his brother. The blond man slunk back into his seat, and gestured for the other three to follow, but they stayed standing. He sighed, and brushed a bit of hair out of his face. In the low light, Hawke caught a glitter of gold in his ear.

"So, which one of you is Anders?" Hawke asked.

"That would be me," The blond man answered. "Look, I know you're after my bounty, and I don't have the coin to pay you off, but we don't want to kill anyone if it can be avoided. Just look the other way and this doesn't have to get messy."

Hawke crossed his arms in front of him, "You seem very confident in your fighting skills. I don't want to kill you either, the bounty says you can be taken alive. I don't know what the wardens do to deserters, but its not even a blight so I'm sure they'll be lenient."

Anders shook his head and scowled, "No, I'm not going back. I'm not even a deserter, not really. The commander broke his promise to me. I know sympathy for mages is a little... hard to come by but I joined the wardens to escape the circle. The commander promised to protect me and shelter me if I followed him, and I did. It wasn't until he decided to hand me back over to the templars that I fled."

Hawke's resolve crumbled at that. He looked over at Carver, his face was guarded, but he could tell Carver was thinking about Bethany and the stories about the circle that their father had told them. If they turned Anders in, he would just be given back over to the templars.  
Hawke sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "There are templars outside looking for you. I'd hate to see a mage taken to the circle, especially the one here. If you give me some time I can distract them so you can sneak out."

Anders narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Oh? And why would you do that?"

"Because our sister is a mage, and she would never forgive us if we helped the templars capture a mage," Hawke said.

Carver pulled Hawke aside and whispered "You don't really mean that? Letting him go is one thing, helping him escape is another," Hawke pushed Carver away, without answering, and Carver groaned, "Fine, I'm in, but only to make sure you don't do something stupid and get yourself arrested."

Anders turned his head to look at his companion, "Well, what do you think, Justice? Should we trust them?"

Despite the helm covering Justice's face, Hawke could tell when he turned their gaze on him, and he suppressed a shiver. When Justice spoke his voice was soft but it echoed strangely,

"Their intentions are just and their words are true. They can be trusted."

"Alright, what's your plan...?" Anders trailed off.

"Hawke. I'm Hawke, and my brother is a tit, but you can call him Carver."

-

Hawke exited the Hanged Man, the group of templars were still there, and when they heard the door open their hands went to their weapons, but when they saw Hawke they relaxed. Hawke turned and left through the alleyway he and Carver had walked through before, he intended to make a loop around the Lowtown bazaar to get to the other side of the Hanged Man. He fingered the fire grenades at his belt anxiously. He hoped this worked and that he and Carver didn't get arrested along with Anders and Justice.

He stopped when he was just around the corner from the Hanged Man, still within earshot of the templars, but out of sight. He searched around and found a few wooden crates and barrels in a corner and pulled them out piling them together. Then, he pulled the fire grenade from his belt and threw it at pile of wood. Despite the sound and heat of the explosion, he didn't stop to look, he was already running back the way he came.  After that, Hawke made his way to the foundry district, hoping the explosion was enough to draw the templars away.

Hawke arrived at the foundry first, and he had plenty of time to worry and agonize over whether the others made it out. The explosion should have been loud enough to alert them that it was time to move, but what if it wasn't? What if the templars didn't all leave their post to investigate and they were caught anyway? Hawke wondered if he should have been the one to stay behind and escort Anders and Justice out. Before he had the time to work himself up into going back to check, The three of them rounded the corner, and Hawke's shoulders slumped in relief.

"So? How'd it go?" He asked.

"Fine, brother, don't worry so much, it was your stupid plan to begin with," Carver said.

Anders was looking at him with a strange expression, a mix of gratitude and confusion, "I half expected you to be planning an ambush along with the templars."

"Do not be ungrateful, I told you they would not betray us," Justice said.

"I don't have a lot of coin, but take these," Anders brushed his cloak aside, to reveal the traveling clothes he was wearing, a blue linen tunic and a brown leather vest that showed his trim waist. Hawke tried not to stare, and Carver rolled his eyes knowingly, but Anders only pulled his sleeves up and removed the silver braces he had clasped around his wrists. "Those should be worth something, they're real silver. A gift from the commander to keep me loyal, too bad I always preferred gold."

Hawke accepted them without argument, he wanted to be chivalrous, but his family had to eat, "I expect after this you'll be leaving Kirkwall?"

Justice and Anders shared a look, "No, actually. I still have some business here."

"O-oh? You do? Anything I can be of further assistance with?" Hawke asked. Carver elbowed him, but Hawke paid him no mind.

Anders raised an eyebrow and smirked knowingly, "Oh, I can think of a few things," Justice seemed to be on the same page as Carver was, and he elbowed Anders. "Right, sorry. Maybe later. Right now we're actually on a rescue mission."

"Great, and I'm guessing it's another mage?" Carver said.

"Actually yes. Don't worry, its nothing crazy like breaking into the gallows, he's actually going to meet us in the chantry tonight. There shouldn't be any trouble, but it would be nice to have you around to watch my- our backs."  Anders said.

Hawke tried not to sound disappointed, "So I suppose you'll be leaving after that?"

"No, Justice and I are staying indefinitely. He has work here to do, and I owe him so I'm tagging along."

"Alright, Anders, we'll help you."

-

Carver didn't let Hawke hear the end of it the entire way home. Hawke took the barbs good naturedly, Carver wasn't exactly wrong. He did find Anders attractive, but he was a bit curious about his companion and the man they were supposed to rescue tonight. When they arrived home, Bethany was a bit cold with them, but after hearing the full recap of what had happened, she insisted on going along with them.

"It sounds exciting! And I want to meet Anders and his friend, it's been so long since I've been around another mage," Bethany said.

"There might be templars, It will be dangerous. And besides, Anders said he was sticking around, you'll have time to meet him another time," Hawke replied.

Bethany crossed her arms, "No, I'm going. You let Carver tag along all the time. I don't care if you're doing this because I'm a mage or because I'm a girl, but I'm sick of you trying to protect me all the time!"

Hawke looked to Carver for help, but he only shrugged, "Fine... I guess you have a point. I do worry about you too much, but you're an adult, and I should trust you more."

"Then you're not going to try to stop me from going?"

"No, but let's get going, the sun will set soon," Hawke said.

The courtyard outside the chantry was empty, save the two lone figures of Anders and Justice. As they approached, Garrett could see the light from the sconce bouncing off Anders' fine boned face, and he found himself staring again. Bethany snickered "Carver, was right, he is handsome."

"What? Carver said he was handsome?" Hawke snapped his attention to Bethany.

"No, he said you were falling all over yourself for him. I can see why"

"Bethy, please, keep your wandering eyes to yourself, I saw him first," Hawke replied.

Bethany patted his arm, "He's all yours, brother, he's handsome but much too old for me."

"Are you ready? I haven't seen anyone else go inside, but let's hope Karl is there."  
Hawke nodded, and the entered the chantry.

It was eerie being there after dark, and something felt off, but Hawke fell in step behind Anders as they searched. They found Karl at the back of the chantry, and Anders' face lit up in a grin as he ran toward him, but beside him, Justice stiffened. Something was wrong, and when Karl spoke in a flat tone and turned to reveal the sunburst on his forehead, Hawke realized what it was, but it was too late, they were already caught in an ambush. Anders cried out in anguish, and Justice pulled him away protectively as they all drew their weapons to fight.

Carver, Hawke and Bethany fell into a familiar formation, with the two warriors standing between Bethany and their enemies as she rained fire down upon them. Hawke saw a bright flash out of the corner of his eye, and he felt a strange pull at the edge of his perception that made his hair stand on end. He turned to see Justice joining the fight, and he fought with a power that Hawke found almost unbelievable. Justice drew the attention of the templar's commander, who fell into a one on one fight with him. He swung at Justice with his sword, but Justice blocked it with ease and bashed him with his shield. With his shield occupied, a templar archer took aim and fired. It flew right for the center of his chest, but bounced off his gorget knocking up into his helmet which fell to the ground with a loud clang.

"Revenant! They have a demon!" The commander shouted, but he was silenced by a quick thrust of Justice's sword.

Hawke froze, which would have been a death sentence in a fight, but it was more of a slaughter with Justice on their side. Hawke couldn't quite understand what he was seeing. Justice's skin was grey and deathly with bits of skin sloughing off to reveal the bone beneath, but his eyes burned with an otherworldly light.

When the last of their enemies were dispatched, Justice approached them, hands raised in supplication,

"Do not be afraid, I am no demon as the templars claimed. I am a spirit. I am Justice," Hawke didn't know how to reply, other than with a nod, "I apologize, I cannot explain further. I am needed with Anders and Karl."

Anders was still with Karl, trying to speak with him, but Karl only answered with monosyllables. Anders looked close to tears, but at Justice's approach he stopped to look at him pleadingly.  
Beside Hawke, Bethany shook her head, "That poor man. Tranquility is barbaric, he'll never be the same again. I'd rather die than be like that."

"Don't talk like that, we'd never let the templars do that to you," Carver said.

As they watched, Anders stepped away to let Justice stand in front of Karl. Justice placed his palms against Karl's temples and his hands lit up with a blue light. The light travelled to Karl's eyes, and then faded. Then Karl started to fall, but Justice caught him before he hit the floor.  
Hawke and his siblings rushed over, "What happened? What did you do?" Bethany asked.

"A tranquil mage's mind is severed from the fade, but I have restored his connection," Justice answered.

Anders sniffled, and wiped his nose on his cloak, "Could you help us get him somewhere safe?"

It ended up being a bit awkward carrying a limp body through the streets of Kirkwall, but if someone stopped to look at them, Hawke just shrugged and said he had a few too many ales. The safe place they found was a hovel in Darktown. Apparently Anders and Justice had been staying there for some time, and as far as Darktown real estate went, it wasn't terrible. The dirt floor was dry and there were high windows that let in a breeze from the sea. Hawke followed Anders to the pallet he had laid out in a corner, and he eased Karl down into it.

"Thank you again Hawke, I don't know if I can repay you for this."

"No need, I'd help any mage in need," Hawke said.

Anders laughed, "I don't know if you're just saying that to get on my good side, but I can't think of anything you stand to gain from this. Anyway, Justice and I have it from here."  
"Right, good night Anders," Hawke spared one last glance at Anders and then he and his siblings departed.

-

The next day Hawke found himself at the Lowtown bazaar trying to pawn off the silver bracers. In the end, he got two sovereigns, which was nothing to sneeze at, although it was considerably less than Anders' bounty. In the end, he knew helping Anders was worth the loss in profit. His moral compass had always gotten him into trouble with the Red Irons, but he couldn't ignore someone in need.

Hawke pocketed his gold when a sweet smelling stall selling flowers caught his eye. Hawke still had the silvers from yesterday that he had almost bribed the bartender with, and remembering Anders' touch, he bought a bouquet of blue flowers and headed for Darktown.

It wasn't easy finding Anders' hideout again, he ended up wandering around for the better part of an hour before he got to a part he recognized. He knocked briefly on the door, and then let himself in. Anders had been leaning over the pallet where Karl was sitting up, but he jumped at the sound of the door. When he saw Hawke he smiled, and stood to make his way over to Hawke. Hawke felt something brush against his leg, and he looked down to see an orange tabby cat. The cat sat down, curling a tail around his paws and looked up at him with narrowed eyes. Anders scooped the cat up on his way over, and cooed, "Say hello Ser Pounce-A-Lot! Hawke is a very nice friend, don't attack him."

Hawke raised an eyebrow, "Is there a danger of Ser Pounce-A-Lot attacking me? Well, I guess he is a knight. Does he have a sword?"

Anders huffed, "Don't make fun of my cat! He's a noble beast. Almost got ripped in a half by a genlock once, he swatted the bugger on the nose. I was so proud, wasn't I, Ser Pounce-A-Lot?" The last part was said in the same cooing voice he had used before. So, Anders was a cat person.

"How is Karl?" Hawke asked.

"He- I can't believe it, but he's almost himself. He has a nasty headache and blanks in his memory but he's ok. He's ok."

Hawke was glad, he wouldn't wish tranquility on anyone, but from the way Anders spoke about Karl he wondered if the flowers were a mistake. "So you and Karl...?"

"Yes. We were. Once. In the tower you couldn't have someone you loved, but the apprentices found ways to make it better, Karl was my first. He's still a dear friend, but it isn't like that between us anymore."

"Oh, so will you accept these?" Hawke awkwardly thrust the flowers out for Anders, face flaming.

Anders laughed and took them from his hands, "I don't know why you'd want to court me, I'm an apostate and my best friend is a spirit who's inhabiting a corpse, but you are cute. I accept."  
Hawke shrugged, "And I'm a refugee from Ferelden and my brother is the biggest ass in Thedas. I think we can make it work."

"This is so strange. You giving me flowers. In the circle I'd just get a wink and we'd be off in a dark corner together, and if they were courteous they'd get me a pillow," Anders said.

"I know we just met, but I like you, and I'd like to know you better," Hawke said.

Anders laughed, "Well, I can be annoying, so just don't get sick of me like the warden commander did,"

Hawke smiled and took Anders' hand, "Don't worry, I won't. I'll prove it."

-

Over the weeks, Karl got better. The brand on his forehead remained, it always would, but his personality, his emotions, and memories, all returned. His magic did not. Despite the jealousy Hawke had at first, he decided to train Karl in swordsmanship, and he was a quick study. Karl was charming too, and Hawke couldn't help but start to like him. Justice was still a bit strange to him, but the spirit seemed to approve him. Ser Pounce-A-Lot was a different story, but Anders always soothed the scratches with a kiss and a bit of healing magic, so he couldn't complain.

This afternoon Hawke found himself outside Anders' door with another bouquet of flowers and a basket. Anders hadn't spoken much about his time in the circle, but he knew it had been traumatizing for him, and Hawke couldn't help but want to spoil him a bit and court him properly. Anders greeted Hawke at the door, and smiled widely and took the flowers while planting a kiss on Hawke's cheek, he shouted his goodbyes at Karl and Justice, and then the two of them set off, hands clasped together.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Anders asked.

"I thought we'd get out of the city for a bit, I just did a job with Aveline yesterday to clear some bandits out on the Wounded Coast, so it should be safe enough today," Hawke said. One of their other dates had ended when they were ambushed by Tal Vasoth, but Hawke had learned that Anders was a capable fighter. And an exceptionally talented healer, but he'd rather not remember that part.

They stopped at an area along the coast that was just out of sight of the path, and had a good view of the ocean. Hawke laid out a slightly moth eaten blanket, and pulled out the food he had packed in the basket. It was simple fare, but he included a couple slices of apple pie that he and

Bethany had baked. He had learned that it was one of Anders' favorites.  
Anders leaned back, closing his eyes, enjoying the breeze from the ocean. Anders always seemed to delight in simple things like that, and while Hawke found it endearing, he also felt a bit of sympathy because he knew that the circle had denied him even the slightest pleasure of basking in the sunlight. Anders' opened his eyes slightly, and looked over at Hawke who was still staring, "What?"

"Nothing, I was just admiring the view," Hawke scooted closer so he was seated behind Anders, who leaned into his embrace. Hawke threaded his hands through Anders' hair, undoing his ponytail and massaging his scalp slightly with his fingers. Anders practically purred. Then Anders' muttered something that Hawke couldn't quite make out, "What was that?" Hawke leaned in to hear better, and Anders' shifted in his arms so they were facing each other, then pushed Hawke down onto his back.

Anders' hair tickled Hawke's face as Anders' kissed him, they were soft, leisurely kisses and Anders' weight above him was pleasant and warm. Their legs shifted together and Hawke gasped as Anders' hands cupped him through his pants. Anders sat up and started working at his clothes, he shrugged out of his vest and unbuttoned his shirt. Hawke leaned up to run his hands over Anders' exposed chest and he kissed the bit of skin just above his waistband before he started to undo the ties and pull his pants apart. Anders gasped and bit his lip when Hawke kissed the tip of his cock. His hips bucked, and Hawke wrapped his arms around Anders' waist before he sank down on Anders' cock. Anders' hands stroked through Hawke's hair as his eyes closed and his mouth fell open in a silent 'o'. He was usually very quiet during sex, but Hawke was starting to learn his other tells.

Hawke bobbed up and down a few times, before Anders started tugging on his hair. Hawke pulled away from Anders with a wet pop and sat up. Anders' used his grip on Hawke's hair to pull him up into a kiss, as his hands started to undo Hawke's trousers. Hawke moaned into Anders' mouth as his clever hands circled his tip, collecting the gathered bit of moisture there. Anders squeezed him gently before summoning a bit of slick in his hand to ease the glide. Hawke groaned and muttered something, and Anders smirked, "What was that, sweetheart?"

"I was just complimenting how good you were at this, don't ruin it," Hawke said.

Anders laughed, "There's nothing wrong with a bit of confidence."

Hawke's reply was swallowed by another moan when Anders' circled his tip with his thumb. Then Anders gathered the slick that was dripping down him, and cupped both of their cocks together, rubbing them both. The velvety slide felt amazing, and after that neither of them lasted long. Anders gathered up their spend and licked it off his own palm. Hawke groaned at the sight, that would've made him hard if he hadn't just come.

Anders tucked them both back in their pants, then snuggled into Hawke's side. Hawke wrapped an arm around Anders' shoulder and then leaned them both back so they were laying on the ground and staring up at the sky.

"You know, this isn't just the post-orgasmic bliss talking, but I really like you Anders. I- I think I might love you," Hawke said.

Anders sat up quickly, and shuffled away to dig through the basket, "Want some pie?"  
Hawke sat up, he couldn't see Anders' expression with his back to him, but he could tell from the rigidity in his shoulders that he was anxious, "It's alright Anders, you don't have to say it back, it's enough that you're here with me and that you know I love you."

Anders turned to him with a watery smile, "Its-its not that I just didn't expect this... any of this. I care for Hawke, more than is probably healthy but I just can't say it. I'm too scared. Scared that if I do something will take you away from me."

Hawke wrapped Anders in his arms and drew him into his chest, "It's ok Anders, you have me, and you have Karl and Justice, even Ser-Pounce-A-Lot. You don't have to worry about the templars anymore. We'll all protect each other.

Anders lifted his head to look Hawke in the eyes, "Thank you, Hawke. Thank you," he leaned in for a kiss, "And I do too. I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @ misterwiggums


End file.
